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Memphis Legal Community Welcomes Kim; Embraces Change

It was so wonderful to have Kim in Memphis last night! A local attorney who has been practicing collaboratively in a few cases, Pam Blair, and her husband, Sam, opened their beautiful home to attorneys and others in Memphis for an evening with Kim and the Lawyers as Peacemakers, Lawyers as Problemsolvers (LAP/LAP) group. There were about 30 people who gathered to discuss the changing face of the practice of law and reimagining the legal system to work for disputants and to pick up an autographed copy of Kim's book. Maureen Holland a founder of Renaissance Lawyers and a holistic attorney in Memphis was there sharing her dreams of a legal delivery system transformed for individuals- she loves the concept of a Legal Grounds style coffee house atmosphere for Memphis folks! Cindy Pensoneau, a beautiful yogi, desperately wants to marry her yoga practice to her legal practice and to help her clients self actualize even as they reform their families. We were lucky to have mediator/collaborative lawyer Sheree Hoffman join us, along with many others who are hungry for the new path.

The Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Memphis is holding a half day seminar featuring Dale Hetzler and Carol Berz from Chattanooga on "Presuit Collaborative Mediation in Medical Malpractice"on October 1. We are hoping for 50-75 attorneys, doctors and hospital administrators to join us as we begin the dialogue with this community.

Tonight the Wellness Committee of the Tennessee Bar met for a quick retreat at a local state park. We are planning a "Wellness CLE" and we know if we call it that, the firms won't come so we toyed with the idea of naming it "Redefining Your Bottom Line: Professionalism, Civility and Giving Back." I am thinking we can subliminally inject some new ideas about practising law!

All in all, the past few weeks have seen some exciting developments in ADR issues for West Tennessee. In addition to all the developments described above, plans are being made for the Conflict Resolution Center to sponsor a Racial Healing Symposium and we will be sponsoring several teens to attend the local GandhiKing Peace Conference where I will present a workshop based on the intersecting vectors of change in the legal profession modeled after work done by Susan Daicoff. I will present a similar workshop at the Equal Justice Conference at Paris Landing State Park.

With all of this activity, I expect Memphis to be the leading light for legal change during the next decade!